Friday, January 03, 2014

Dogs do their business on a north-south axis: study

German and Czech researchers studying squatting dogs doing their business have found the pooches have an "inner compass" that may help explain how they find their way home over great distances.

When the four-legged friends stop during a walk to defecate or urinate, they tend to do so along a north-south axis, provided the earth's magnetic field is stable at the time, the scientists said Friday.

There was no notable difference in magneto-sensitivity among breeds, which ranged from a tiny Yorkshire terrier to a large St Bernard, said team member Dr Sabine Begall of Germany's Duisburg-Essen University.

"We found that the dogs are wonderfully aligned north-to-south --somewhat more so when they defecate than when they urinate -- but only when the magnetic field is stable," Begall told AFP.

For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, the 10-member Czech and German research team asked 37 dog owners equipped with compasses over two years to record which way their total of 70 furry friends faced when they relieve themselves.

Initially, the scientists crunched the data from over 7,000 such events but found no clear trend. However, when they looked only at times of low magnetoelectric fluctuation, "there was a wonderful correlation", said Begall.

The findings are another clue that animals can sense electromagnetic waves not noticed by humans, and that dogs, aside from their sharp senses of hearing and smell, also have a "magnetic sense".

In 2008 the team studied Google Earth images and found that cattle tend to graze and lie down along a north-south axis, pointing to a sensitivity also suspected in migratory birds and other species.

"There are anecdotal reports that dogs find their way home over hundreds of kilometers (miles), and an explanation may be that they use the Earth's magnetic field for their orientation," Begall said.

What exactly is going on inside a dog's head when it poops is however "pure speculation" for now, said Begall.

It may be that dogs take stock of where they are, the same way a hiker will orient a map northward, and that they can't do this when high electromagnetic activity makes their "compass needle vibrate".

On the other hand, she said, it is possible that, when dogs feeling the urge to relieve themselves and sense a stable and comforting north-south polarity, "they are especially relaxed".

Dogs do their business on a north-south axis: study

German and Czech researchers studying squatting dogs doing their business have found the pooches have an "inner compass" that may help explain how they find their way home over great distances.

When the four-legged friends stop during a walk to defecate or urinate, they tend to do so along a north-south axis, provided the earth's magnetic field is stable at the time, the scientists said Friday.

There was no notable difference in magneto-sensitivity among breeds, which ranged from a tiny Yorkshire terrier to a large St Bernard, said team member Dr Sabine Begall of Germany's Duisburg-Essen University.

"We found that the dogs are wonderfully aligned north-to-south --somewhat more so when they defecate than when they urinate -- but only when the magnetic field is stable," Begall told AFP.

For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, the 10-member Czech and German research team asked 37 dog owners equipped with compasses over two years to record which way their total of 70 furry friends faced when they relieve themselves.

Initially, the scientists crunched the data from over 7,000 such events but found no clear trend. However, when they looked only at times of low magnetoelectric fluctuation, "there was a wonderful correlation", said Begall.

The findings are another clue that animals can sense electromagnetic waves not noticed by humans, and that dogs, aside from their sharp senses of hearing and smell, also have a "magnetic sense".

In 2008 the team studied Google Earth images and found that cattle tend to graze and lie down along a north-south axis, pointing to a sensitivity also suspected in migratory birds and other species.

"There are anecdotal reports that dogs find their way home over hundreds of kilometers (miles), and an explanation may be that they use the Earth's magnetic field for their orientation," Begall said.

What exactly is going on inside a dog's head when it poops is however "pure speculation" for now, said Begall.

It may be that dogs take stock of where they are, the same way a hiker will orient a map northward, and that they can't do this when high electromagnetic activity makes their "compass needle vibrate".

On the other hand, she said, it is possible that, when dogs feeling the urge to relieve themselves and sense a stable and comforting north-south polarity, "they are especially relaxed".

Parents may want to limit electronic media at mealtime

BY SHEREEN JEGTVIG

NEW YORKFri Jan 3, 2014 6:22am EST

Josh Rubinstein, 15, utilizes augmented reality technology with AppGear's ''Alien Jailbreak'' on his iPad as he plays the new generation of toy at Grand Central Station during the American International Toy Fair in New York, February 13, 2012.

CREDIT: REUTERS/RAY STUBBLEBINE/WOWWEE/INSIDER IMAGES/HANDOUT

(Reuters Health) - Parents who let their teens use electronic devices or watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, a new study suggests.

Experts have suggested turning the TV off at mealtime for years. But with the advent of cell phones and other handheld devices, kids can bring all kinds of media with them to the table.

"The findings of this most recent paper showed that mealtime media use is common among families with adolescents but that setting rules around media use at meals may reduce media use among teens and have other positive benefits as well," lead author Jayne A. Fulkerson told Reuters Health in an email.

Fulkerson is the director of the Center for Child and Family Health Promotion Research at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in Minneapolis.

"Parents who are having family meals with media could choose to make some rules excluding media at mealtimes to spend more quality time with their children," she said.

Fulkerson and her colleagues asked more than 1,800 parents how often their adolescent children watched TV, talked on the phone, texted, played games or listened to music with headphones during family meals.

They also asked parents if they set rules on media use at mealtime and whether they felt family meals were important. Children answered questions about how well their families communicated, including how often they talked about problems with their parents.

Two thirds of parents reported that their teens watched TV or movies during family meals at least some of the time. One quarter said the TV was on frequently.

Texting, talking on the phone, listening to music with headphones and using handheldgames were less common. Between 18 and 28 percent of parents reported those activities happened at mealtime, according to findings published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Close to three quarters of parents said they set limits on mealtime media use.

Girls were more likely to use electronic media than boys and media use at mealtime increased with age. It was also more common among families with parents who were less educated or were black or Asian.

Mealtime media use was less common when parents set rules, but more common among families that didn't communicate much.

Parents who reported frequent media use also said their families had fewer servings of green salad, fruit, vegetables, 100-percent juice and milk at meals, and more sugar-sweetened beverages.

The researchers didn't ask if parents also used electronic media at mealtime.

"What parents told us is that kids (and probably parents alike) are texting and using games while eating dinner. In several surveys I have done with parents and youth, they have indicated that there is a lot of multitasking going on," Fulkerson said.

She said research has shown frequent family meals are tied to higher self-esteem and a better diet among kids.

Given the opportunity, most children will talk about themselves and their lives at mealtime, leading to better family communication, Fulkerson said.

"Perhaps they will have greater feelings of connectedness as well. Mealtimes are a great venue for this. Of course, it is not true for every family, but fits for many," she said.

"There is no magic number of how many (family meals) to have, not all food at meals has to be 100% healthy and having electronic media at meals is not all bad (e.g., an occasional movie night with dinner) if it facilitates family time," she noted. "But, parents can take small steps to have quality time with their children by reducing media use at mealtimes."

SOURCE: bit.ly/19E1OkS Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, online December 23, 2013.

More than 1,300 requests for settlements or aerial conversions were recorded in 2013 in Paris . The question of exposure limits which are subject Parisian .

Paris was beautiful limiting exposure of its inhabitants to the airwaves with a unique charter in France, it does not escape the rat race to 4G operators , to the chagrin of residents associations and environmentalists.

By itself , the capital concentrates more than 13 % of the French 4G network , mobile broadband technology very full deployment in France . In early December, the National Frequency Agency ( ANFR ) had authorized the installation of 1,866 new generation transmitters in central Paris , including 1,154 already in service.

" It's a race between operators. Development of 3G was spread over several years. This time , there was a real boom with the arrival of 4G and competition caused by Free ," says Agnes Pezzana Agency urban Ecology , attached to the city .

His service has seen " more than 1,300 " applications implementations or conversions of antennas in 2013. A headache for the City, which is committed to promote settlements and respond within four months to request operators .

Consultation down

"This is participatory democracy with two balls : they make you believe that taking into account the opinions and sits on it " , is frustrated Etienne Ashtray, spokesman Robin roofs .

This summer, several associations - Robin roofs , Priartem and Acting for the environment - have slammed the door of the commission. In early July, she had to decide on a hundred applications . Time for each folder: " about two minutes " , still gets angry Etienne ashtray .

" The MTCC does not really dialogue but rather become a recording chamber . (...) Everything is done in a hurry ," says Jean- Jacques Anding , the consumer organization CLCV latter association to sit .

" It is an intensive pace but not impossible ," retorted Mao Peninou , deputy mayor in charge of antennas and Chairman of the Committee . Approximately 20% of cases examined are shown explains socialist elected.

Real protection charter

Parisian antennas must comply with an exposure of 5 volts / meter ceiling for 2G/3G and 7 V / m for 4G , eight times lower than the national standards. To enforce this charter presented as " more protective Europe " , the city used as a weapon negotiating access to municipal roofs essential for operators to expand their coverage.

" This is not Nirvana (...) , but this is the best charter given the balance of power ," defends Peninou Mao , who led the negotiations. According to him , operators improve after long played cat and mouse with the City.

" The charter is not very restrictive for operators. They do not really need to rape the city sets for them," Julien Pascal contests ( EELV ) , deputy mayor of the 18th arrondissement .

The neighborhood is part of the boroughs slingers and makes a great majority of adverse opinion, as the 12th and 14th .

The major problem is that " the president of the commission finally make a decision that is based solely on the exhibition of the charter thresholds. Opposition from local residents or the presence of sensitive institutions (hospitals , schools, kindergartens , ed ) does not come into play , "says Laurent Touzet , Deputy Mayor of the 12th PS .

Nurseries exposed ?

Some residents are worried or angry. In the 19th, the collective Bellevue forcéBouygues cutting 4G on one of its branches this fall. The issuer, drawn street Bellevue overlooks a manger approved by the City , about thirty yards away.

Despite an obligation under the Charter , the operator had never mentioned this sensitive property in its request for establishment . Forgetting also passed unnoticed ANFR and the town hall.

" All associations nurseries are fallen by the wayside because they were not listed as sensitive institutions. (...) What it will give in 40 years for the health of our children ? " , S ' concerned Elise Provost, the young mother at the helm of the group .

Rue Jean Cottin, in the 18th , the collective Alliance for the cancellation of three antennas ( Apatar ) went up blocking to prevent Free install its antenna over two schools. " It was clear to the workers that they will never pass ," says Natasha Jankowski , spokeswoman Apatar .

The group remains on guard. After Free has agreed to abide by the Charter , subcontractors tried to go soft before the issuance of a new license , she says . Meeting with residents , the operator also presented an erroneous urban plan, where a school appeared lower ( and therefore further away from a nearby antenna) in reality .

11 Reasons To Bring Back Landlines In 2014 (Seriously)

While some are saying that landlines will become as obsolete as horse-and-buggy travel, we say that there really is no time better than now to embrace home phones. Yep, I'm siding with your mother and grandmother on this one. While a home phone can't replace a cell phone (for the obvious reason that you can't take them with you everywhere), it's something you should use at home. Here's why:

1. It can save your ass in an emergency.If the power goes out, your phone will still work. You won't have to do what I did after Superstorm Sandy knocked out my power for over a week, which was travel nearly a state over to find a working outlet to recharge my phone.

2. No weird health concerns.Though research is still ongoing (and hotly debated), there are concerns that cell phones might have a connection to anything from cancer to anxiety.

3. You can hear everyone much better.I strongly believe that there's a deadzone specifically over my apartment.

5. You're probably paying for it anyway.I once tried to get rid of my landline in an attempt to decrease my cable bill. Without it, the bill was actually higher. Like Grandmas everywhere, I'm of the opinion that if you're paying for it, you might as well use it.

6. Old-school phones look really cool.No doubt about it.

7. You can focus a little bit more on the conversation.Or, you can actually have a conversation instead of relaying everything in text form.

8. No one can make you upgrade your home phone.If you want to keep your embarrassingly old cell phone, your cell provider will seemingly do everything in their power to make sure that you eventually upgrade. Conformity is your only option.

9. You can slam down the receiver when angry.Pressing "end call" doesn't produce the same feelings of satisfaction.

10. You'll get a better night's sleep. Having a phone by your bed is an invitation to check your damn email right before you go to sleep, which is a surefire way not to go to sleep.

11. You can't accidentally butt-dial anyone.It's happened to every single one of us, usually at the worst times. (But if this vintage photo is any indication, I suppose you could cat-dial someone.)

14. Wireless Technology a Looming Health Crisis

As a multitude of hazardous wireless technologies are deployed in homes, schools, and workplaces, government officials and industry representatives continue to insist on their safety despite growing evidence to the contrary. Extensive deployment of “smart grid” technology hastens this looming health crisis.

By now many residents in the United States and Canada have smart meters—which transfer detailed information on residents’ electrical usage back to the utility every few minutes—installed on their dwellings. Each meter has an electronic cellular transmitter that uses powerful bursts of electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) radiation to communicate with nearby meters, which together form an interlocking network. Such information can easily be used to determine individual patterns of behavior based on power consumption.

Utilities sell smart grid technology to the public as a way to “empower” individual energy consumers, allowing them to access information on their energy usage so that they may eventually save money by programming “smart” (i.e., wireless-enabled) home appliances and equipment to run when electrical rates are lowest. In other words, a broader plan behind smart grid technology involves a tiered rate system for electricity consumption that will be set by the utility, to which customers will have no choice but to conform.

Thursday, January 02, 2014 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writerTags: Fukushima, radiation, ocean life(NaturalNews) The Pacific Ocean appears to be dying, according to a new study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California recently discovered that the number of dead sea creatures blanketing the floor of the Pacific is higher than it has ever been in the 24 years that monitoring has taken place, a phenomenon that the data suggests is a direct consequence of nuclear fallout from Fukushima.

Though the researchers involved with the work have been reluctant to pin Fukushima as a potential cause -- National Geographic, which covered the study recently, did not even mention Fukushima -- the timing of the discovery suggests that Fukushima is, perhaps, the cause. According to the data, this sudden explosion in so-called "sea snot," which is the name given to the masses of dead sea creatures that sink to the ocean floor as food, has skyrocketed since the Fukushima incident occurred.

"In the 24 years of this study, the past two years have been the biggest amounts of this detritus by far," stated Christine Huffard, a marine biologist at MBARI and leader of the study, to National Geographic.

At an ocean research station known as Station M, located 145 miles out to sea between the Californian cities of Santa Barbara and Monterey, Huffard and her colleague Ken Smith observed a sharp uptick in the amount of dead sea life drifting to the ocean floor. The masses of dead sea plankton, jellyfish, feces and other oceanic matter that typically only cover about 1 percent of the ocean floor were found to now be covering about 98 percent of it -- and multiple other stations located throughout the Pacific have since reported similar figures.

"In March 2012, less than one percent of the seafloor beneath Station M was covered in dead sea salps," writes Carrie Arnold for National Geographic. "By July 1, more than 98 percent of it was covered in the decomposing organisms. ... The major increase in activity of deep-sea life in 2011 and 2012 weren't limit to Station M, though: Other ocean-research stations reported similar data."

No more sea life means no more oxygen in our atmosphere

Interestingly, Arnold does not even make a peep about Fukushima, which by all common sense is the most reasonable explanation for this sudden increase in dead sea life. Though the most significant increases were observed roughly a year after the incident, the study makes mention of the fact that the problems first began in 2011.

"Forget looking at global warming as the culprit," writes National Geographic commenter "Grammy," pointing out the lunacy of Arnold's implication that the now-debunked global warming myth was the sudden cause of a 9,700 percent increase in dead sea life.

Backing her up, another National Geographic commenter jokingly stated that somehow "the earth took such a huge hit in a four-month timeframe of a meltdown via global warming and we as a people didn't recognize this while [it was] happening; while coincidentally during that same time frame the event at Fukushima took place."

It is almost as if the powers that be want us all to forget about Fukushima and the catastrophic damage it continues to cause to our planet. But they will not be able to cover up the truth forever, as human life is dependent upon healthy oceans, the life of which provides the oxygen that we all need to breathe and survive.

Evidence is inconclusive as to whether radio waves can adversely affect the health or mental state of humans

Self-described "technological lepers", i.e. Wi-Fi-fearing populations around the world, scored a win this week when a school district Manawatu, New Zealand bowed to the criticism of two fathers and agreed to cut off wireless internet access to assuage their unproven fears.

I. A Win Against Wireless

Manawatu is a relatively rural district on the Northern Island of New Zealand and is home to about 27,900 residents. A city page brags:

The Manawatu is heartland New Zealand. A landscape that sweeps from the sea to the Tararua Ranges, it offers an exciting range of adventure activities.

If you want to experience country life, it’s all around you. Go to a real stock auction. This is where the farmers buy and sell their farm animals, gathering around pens as the auctioneer rattles off bids. Stock auctions are one of New Zealand’s oldest traditions, dating back to the 1880s.

Or you could find a farmstay and meet farmers whose families have been on the land for generations.

There's a great diversity of attractions in Manawatu, New Zealand. In the vibrant student city of Palmerston North you can explore the world’s first museum devoted to rugby. If you’re a garden lover there are some fabulous public and private gardens to see, including one of the top rose gardens in the world. And a little way down the road around Horowhenua you’ll find such quirky attractions as an owl park, a farm devoted to Clydesdales and a fully operational Dutch windmill.

Like many districts in the U.S., Manawatu is home to some residents that fear wireless signals can cause cancer. These people say that electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure (i.e. non-ionizing radiation) is dangerous to the human body, just like ionizing radiation from radioactive isotopes.

But unlike many futile fights waged elsewhere, in this sleepy New Zealand town it was the Wi-Fi fearing residents who scored the big win.

II. Did an iPod Kill a 10-Year-Old?

Damon Wyman and David Bird battled the Te Horo Schools in the Kapiti Coast district over their use of Wi-Fi networks to promote education. Mr. Wyman's son Ethan Wyman was tragically diagnosed with a brain tumor, which led to his death in Aug. 2012. He was only ten years old. The death came roughly a year after his diagnosis, and roughly a year and four months after the cancer developed, according to his doctors.

The father blames Apple, Inc. (AAPL) for his son's illness. He claims the cancer was caused by an iPod his son received as a gift.

He notes his siblings did not have cancer, which he reasons is because they did not have Wi-Fi equipped iPods. He comments, "The only difference was, Ethan had an iPod."

Mr. Wyman claims his views are backed by the medical community (more on that later). He tells a local paper, "We've been inundated from health professionals from all around the world, and so have the board, all expressing their concern with Wi-Fi, and advocated for it to be removed from our school."

The school district surveyed parents and found modest support for removal among parents of Junior grade students, a group of students which Ethan Wyman is part of. But among seniors it found parents nearly unanimously opposed.

The Junior Te Horo school has gone "Wi-Fi Free". [Image Source: NBR]

So the local school board resolved to replace the network at the junior school with Ethernet and keep the Wi-Fi for the senior class. The school board insists the junior school removal is just respecting parental wishes, not a gesture supporting the notion that Wi-Fi is unsafe. It comments:

We have sourced information from the [New Zealand] Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and other submissions. Based on this information the board believes that Wi-Fi does not pose a health risk to staff or students.

The issue remains contentious, with neither side fully happy with the outcome.

II. Wi-Fi/Cell Phone Illness -- Real or Imagined?

EHS is not be a recognized illness in the United States, but there's plenty of debate surrounding the matter.

On the other hand, research from scientists at Louisiana State University showed that EHS could be caused by low-frequency electromagnetic fields. They made this claim after testing it on a 35-year-old physician who had diagnosed herself with EHS. They seated her in a wooden chair while applying voltage to metal plates for 90-second pulses to produce a series of magnetic fields. After each exposure, she was asked to describe her symptoms. Some of the exposures were fake, where no voltage was applied. But the physician was unaware when there were real exposures and fake ones.

Dr. Andrew Marino, LSU [Image Source: LSU]

The physician described headaches and muscle twitching during real exposures and no symptoms during fake exposures. These results were covered in a peer-reviewed paper [PDF] published in 2011 in the International Journal of Neuroscience.

"The study provides direct evidence that linking human symptoms with environmental factors, in this case EMF," said Dr. Andrew Marino, who led the study. "It's a watershed in that regard. There have been no previous studies that scientifically assess whether electromagnetic fields in the environment could produce human symptoms. And the symptoms matter because they are the first steps that show how EMFs produce human disease."

Dr. Marino reviewed the results of his studies, which have been covered in recent books and peer-reviewed journal articles in an August 2013 letter to the editor, published in the International Journal of Neuroscience. There's a firestorm of controversy around Dr. Marino's conclusions from the study, but most at least praise him for approaching the topic more scientifically than other academics who believed in the disease.

"The bigger problem that we face is that our society, driven by technological change, people have very little education," said Park. "There are lots of things people need to learn and they're not learning it. The thing that's going to kill them is ignorance."

A final note -- evens if cell phone EMF "disorders" are one day recognized and confirmed by the mainstream medical community, Wi-Fi "illnesses" will likely remain much more controversial.

Cell phone towers operate over relatively long distances, so they broadcast at a much higher power. By contrast Wi-Fi access points typically broadcast over only hundreds of feet, requiring much less power.

A typical LTE tower has a peak power of 48 dBm (63 watts), which is about 30 times as powerful as outdoor Wi-Fi signal boosters (outside of specialty units) which operate at around 26 dBm (2 watts). Indoor Wi-Fi access points tend to operate a hundredth of the power of a cell phone base station or less.

So if LTE towers are moderately harmful, it still remains unlikely Wi-Fi can lead to any serious health effects.

Indeed a peer-reviewed study published in a 2010 edition of the Physics in Medicine and Biologyjournal confirms this back-of-the-napkin math. The authors write:

…the highest localized SAR (specific energy absorption rate) value in the head was calculated as 5.7 mW kg−1. This represents less than 1% of the SAR previously calculated in the head for a typical mobile phone exposure condition.

So basically researchers believe that whatever the effects of cell phones on the human body, Wi-Fi chips and access points have about a hundredth of the effect.

But then again another peer-reviewed study published in the Oct. 2012 edition of the Journal of Psychosomatic Research suggest Wi-Fi illness fears, even if unfounded may indeed cause real disease.

Media reports about the adverse effects of supposedly hazardous substances can increase the likelihood of experiencing symptoms following sham exposure and developing an apparent sensitivity to it. Greater engagement between journalists and scientists is required to counter these negative effects.

It's unclear if that happen in Ethan Wyman's case, but it clear that fearing faking illness can make you actually sick.

A bunch in Africa were worried about a Cellular Tower and protested. On the day it was supposed to go live a lot started complaining about various symptoms including Nausea, vomiting, hives, dizziness, and more.

However the tower was never plugged in due to the public outcry.

Another example had some Liberals in the United States seeking a disability claim for wifi, where they claimed they suffered allergic reactions to wifi and could detect where it was in use. They were shocked when a company being called on the rug on it used wifi transmitters inside the Court House along all paths leading to the Court-Room and video feeds of the claimants as they walked through the building.

No one suffered a single symptom or made a single complaint .

After examining large amounts of data regarding cancer and cellular use leading scientists declared there is no actual correlation. Sadly the truth is that children can get cancer, and can die. It is sad, but it happens all the time.

Follow by Email

Followers

About Me

While I have always been extremely health conscious and am presently in excellent health, I did become temporarily out-of-commission (i.e. I was really sick) in 2005 with a number of at the time unexplainable symptoms. I was quite puzzled at the time because I had been eating mainly organically grown food, drinking spring water, doing Yoga every morning, and going to the gym several times a week. In other words, I was doing everything one is supposed to do to stay healthy. I was not supposed to get sick. It took me six months before discovering or even imagining the main source of the problem - which was in fact "overexposure to electromagnetic" - especially microwave - radiation. I was living within 200 meters of two cell phone towers at the time and within 500 meters of a 3rd one with numerous WiFi signals bleeding into my apartment from adjacent neighbors. I developed a host of symptoms, which are found in what has been misleadingly described as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) -- but much more accurately described as Radio Wave or Microwave Sickness. Large numbers of people in the USA suddenly started getting sick in 1984...